SEWERAGE  AM)  SEWAGE • 


OF 


THE  CITY  OF  XKW  YORK. 


BY 

OHAS.  II.  HAS  WELL,  C.  and  M.  E. 

MEMBER  OF  THE  AM.  SOC.  OF  CIVIL  ENGINEERS,  OF  THE  X.  Y.  ACADEMY 
OF  SCIENCES,  OF  THE  INSTITUTE  OF  NAVAL  ARCHITECTS,  ENG- 
LAND, AND  CORRESPONDING  MEMBER  OF  THE  AMERI- 
CAN INSTITUTE  OF  ARCHITECTS,  ETC.,  ETC. 


NEW  YORK  : 
PRINTED  BY  THE  NATIONAL  PRINTING  COMPANY, 
13  Chambers  St  ret- 1. 

1877. 


lEx  IGtbrts 


SEYMOUR  DURST 


When  you  leave,  please  leave  this  book 

Because  it  has  been  said 
" Ever'tbing  comes  t'  him  who  waits 

Except  a  loaned  book." 


Avery  Architectural  and  Fine  Arts  Library 
Gift  of  Seymour  B.  Durst  Old  York  Library 


SEWERAGE  AND  SEWAGE 


OF 


THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


BY 

CHAS.  H.  HAS  WELL,  C.  and  M.  E. 

MEMBER  OF  THE  AM.  SOC.  OF  CIVIL  ENGINEERS,  OF  THE  N.  Y.  ACADEMY 
OF  SCIENCES,  OF  THE  INSTITUTE  OF  NAVAL  ARCHITECTS,  ENG- 
LAND, AND  CORRESPONDING  MEMBER  OF  THE  AMERI- 
CAN INSTITUTE  OF  ARCHITECTS,  ETC.,  ETC. 


NEW  YORK: 

PRINTED  BY  THE  NATIONAL  PRLNTING  COMPANY, 
13  Chambers  Street. 

1877. 


CLASS  I 

5  J 


-   ""o„.  x 

^!7//e  AoA&utH^  communication  wad  wii'/fen  a/  /Ae  ie- 
y/ed/  o^  ^lA'/ot   4^  /Ae  S¥eit*    ~?^oiA  <j/(oetaA/,  an</ 

a^i/ieafec/  *w  i/d  co/amnd  on  /Ae  J?3c/  S¥oi'em/ei,  /<¥^ 

€d  now  leftaAA'dAea^  /o  meet  /Ae  ie/iea/ea^ ie^aed/d ^ct 
co/ieed  Of  i/. 


"  ^(zAtewAete  we  &eve  a  ^eiAA  ane/  ind/tiec/ive  A//ei  ^lotn 


t^s/Al.    ^Aad.  v%ca4'we//,  /Ae  we/A-Anown  enaineet,  in 


wAecA  Ae  Aa4ta4Ad  toi/A  Ancu*/eoApe  anof  ca/?aci/t/,.  /Ae ^iioA- 
/emd  wi/Am  /Ae  dfiAete  of  Aid  at/,  /Aa/  ieAz/e  to    /Ae  Aaa^ 
eonditi&n  o^ /Ae  d£u  ad  -to  detisetaipe  ana^  a^laina^e.      A%  id 
a  ^act  dii^Accien/Ay  no/oiicud,  /Aa/  /Ae  AeaAfA  o^/Ae  ce&f 


Id 

eacefi/ionaAAf  /faa^,  -wAen  /Ae  cUcamd/anced  aie  toi/Ain  cat 
ieacA  /o  maAe  i/  eacefi/ionaAAp  tpcea^;  adta^  i&Ai/e  /Aid  ^ac/ 
id  cAvioMd,  /Ae  need*  aie  /Aa/  /Ae  d^/ecr^ic  doaiced  a*ia^ o^ieta- 
Ziond  o^/Ae  caaded  o^ oat  Aaa^ condition  dani/aiiAj/ ,  dAoaAA Ae 
^o/n/ea^ cat  ana^  /Ae  iemecA^  a£d/inc/Af  ina^ca/eoA,  t!^/  id ^oi 
/Ae ^lAifdiciand  /o  ai;  /Ae  ^itd/  /  ana^ /Ae  decent  id  ei'iae'n/Aff 


1/u/Atn  /Ae  remain  /Ae  enspt'neeid.  Jza^t  S/itndaif  <we 
/a({/ /e/o/e  cat  ieaaeld  tn  /Ae  confine eny,  e^ec&pc  an</  ealn- 


ed/  At/ei        ^y^4.  rJ^f  rl/^.  ^atahei,  j/tom  wAicA  /Ae  diy- 
na/aie  wad    maa^'ei/en/A^  c?nt&ec/,  /Ae  ea/Atne  an</  na/aAt 
ctU  /iocc/Ad  10//A  ie^aicA  /o  ^za/fAc  AeaA/A.  ■wad 
/Aeietn   dAdtvn  /A 'a/  we    ate  ^?.tac/tcaAA/.    da/ata/in^f  eat- 
dcAed    ana^  evei^/Ain^,  a/fou/   ad,  wi/A    aeaeAAfi  nuadma/tc 
etnana/cend  •  //at  /Aie  maaA  ana^  ana^lainea^  Azna^  on  wAicA 
do  manj^  /Aoadana^d  cj/^ oai  loaded  aie  /fa/Af,  /d  J^acAea^ 10//A 
ntiadm  /  /A a/  it  corned  -to  ad  &n  evei^  Ateej^e  ;  //fat  ■we  aAiwtA 
maAaftoad  wd/ei  coo  AenA  w//A  rnaAzi/oad  -tee,  ana/  Ave  ana^ 
dAe^fi  m  an  a/modfeAe-te  d/i^An^.  ui//A  d&wei  tpad.  <J?$AA ?Ae 
ev/Ad  /Aa/  ^/tccAtce  /Acde  /ioaA/ed,   mi<oAve  j^ol  /Aeti  iemecAp 
^tioA^/emt  w//A  vvA/cA  c/  id  /Ae ^iiovtnce  o^ /Ae  enytneet  Jo 
yJ.a/i^z-As,  ana^  we  tecommena^  /o  /Ae  /AeatpA/^etA  a//en//cn  e^ 
/Ae  ^ia/Ac,  /Ae  da<p.<f,ed/iond  made  ^  ^oadweAA." 


SEWERAGE  MD  SEWAGE. 


New  York,  November  15,  1875. 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Herald: — 

In  compliance  with  your  request  regarding  my  views  of 
the  existing  system  of  Drainage  and  Sewerage  of  this  city, 
and  of  one  which  a  proper  regard  to  the  health  and  con- 
venience of  our  citizens  and  economy  of  maintenance 
requires,  I  submit  the  following : — 

DKAINAG-E. 

The  formation  of  this  island  is  peculiar,  consisting 
principally  of  rock  having  a  very  irregular  surface,  with 
the  plane  of  its  laminations  approaching  the  vertical,  and 
as  a  consequence  thereof,  its  surface  is  interspersed  with 
natural  water  courses,  which  empty  directly  into  the. 
adjoining  rivers  ;  except  where  the  volume  of  their  flow  is 
small,  and  their  basins  impermeable  to  its  subsidence  by 
gravitation ;  in  which  cases  it  forms  marshes  or  ponds, 
which  are  discharged  only  when  they  are  overflowed  5  and 
so  long  as  this  primeval  condition  was  not  arrested  by  the 
tilling  out  of  the  river  shores  to  a  bulkhead  line,  and  by 
the  filling  in  of  lines  of  avenues  and  streets  which  ran 
a  cioss  the  threads  of  these  courses,  without  any  pro  vision 
being  made  for  their  passage  under  them,  this  operation 
was  not  disturbed,  and  the  land,  with  the  exception  of  the 
marshes  and  ponds,  was  freed  from  surface  and  spring 
water.  But  when  the  discharge  of  the  water-courses  was 
arrested  by  impermeable  filling  across  them,  the  water, 
as  a  consequence  remained  in  and  upon  the  earth,  as 
evidenced  in  the  lower  portion  of  the  city  in  wet  cellars, 


6 


and  in.  tlie  upper  portion  in  cellars,  ponds,  and  pools, 
the  result  of  which  is  the  generation  and  exhalation  of 
miasma  prolific  with  disease  and  death. 

So  manifest  is  the  fact  and  evil  result  of  this  arrest  of 
drainage,  that  the  area  of  the  different  embayments  can  be 
defined  by  locating  the  points  at  which  malarious  diseases 
have  been  contracted. 

SEWERAGE. 

Air  charged  with  decomposing  matter  will  not  sustain 
animal  life  in  health,  as  the  oxygen,  or  life-sustaining  por- 
tion of  it,  is  absorbed  by  matter  undergoing  decomposition. 
The  health  and  life  of  individuals  therefore,  depends  upon 
the  observance  of  such  sanitary  measures  as  will  afford 
them  pure  air $  and  in  communities,  as  in  populous  cities 
alike  to  this,  this  requirement  of  pure  air  is  the  more 
important,  inasmuch  as  the  vitiation  of  it,  by  inhalation 
and  decomposition,  is  inversely  as  the  area  and  volume  of 
occupation. 

Communities,  with  some  late  exceptions,  have  neglect- 
ed sanitary  measures,  and  it  is  only  when  some  disease, 
alike  to  cholera  or  other  epidemic  has  decimated  them, 
that  sanitary  measures  have  received  that  consideration 
and  attention  they  are  entitled  to. 

The  preservation  of  the  health  of  all  is  important  to  all : 
Health  to  the  laborer  is  his  wealth,  and  infection  gene- 
rated in  the  dwellings  of  the  poor  may  extend  to  those  of 
the  rich. 

Sanitary  regulations  and  provisions  give  power  and 
attain  results  in  communities  which  individuals  acting 
singly  cannot  effect.  It  becomes  necessary  therefore,  that 
they  should  be  comprehensive  in  construction  and  effective 
in  operation. 

The  first  and  most  important  element  in  this  connec- 
tion is  sewerage,  the  operation  of  freeing  dwellings,  fac- 
tories, etc.,  from  decomposing  and  noxious  matter,  and  it 
embraces  two  distinct  operations — one  the  collection  of  the 
sewerage,  and  the  other  the  disposal  of  it. 


7 


In  a  metropolis  alike  to  this,  with,  its  dense  popula- 
tion, its  tenement  houses  and  cellars,  and  the  impunity  with 
which  many  of  its  ordinances  are  neglected,  it  becomes 
imperative  that  deficiency  of  municipal  control  should  be 
met  5  that  our  citizens  should  have  regard  to  their  sanitary 
requirements,  and  learn,  that  in  default  of  domestic  and 
municipal  safeguards  and  measures,  physical  construc- 
tions and  operations  must  be  resorted  to  and  relied  upon. 

As  regards  the  sewers  of  this  city  constructed  prior  to 
1856,  and  for  some  years  after,  a  further  description  of 
their  construction  and  condition  becomes  unnecessary  after 
that  which  appears  in  a  report  of  the  Commissioners  of  the 
Croton  Aqueduct  to  the  Common  Council  in  1866,  as  the 
following  extract  from  it,  wherein  they  refer  to  the  exist- 
ing sewers,  covers  the  entire  ground : 

"  Nearly  all  of  which  (sewers)  have  been  built  without 
regard  to  any  system"  (notwithstanding  that  under  the  pro- 
vision of  an  act  of  the  Legislature  of  1855  they  had  author- 
ity to  construct  sewers  upon  a  devised  system)  u  in  place  of 
their  regular  and  faulty  work  which  has  heretofore  rendered 
our  operations  under  this  head  so  expensive,  ineffective 
and  pestilential,  and  that  to  correct  or  even  lessen  the  evils 
resulting  from  so  many  years  of  mismanagement,  is  a  task 
requiring  much  study,  care  and  time." 

The  sewers  of  this  city  are  constructed  either  of  brick 
masonry  or  of  vitrified  clay  pipe,  and  when  of  brick  it  is 
required  that  the  lower  course  should  be  laid  free  of  mortar 
or  cement,  in  order  that  the  water  of  the  earth  might  enter 
them  and  thus  be  led  off  to  the  river  into  which  the  sewer 
discharges.  In  pipe  sewers  until  very  lately,  there  was  no 
such  provision,  and  no  method  by  which  external  water 
could  enter  them  but  through  the  fissures  in  their  joints. 

It  occurs  however,  that  the  operation  of  the  open  joints 
of  one  course  of  bricks,  and  the  loose-fitting  joints  of  the 
pipes,  are  not  very  effective  to  carry  off  the  sub-soil  water, 
because  of  the  great  proportion  of  viscous  matter  in  the 
sewage,  which  in  dry  weather  indurates  the  interstitial 
filling,  and  thus  arrests  the  percolation  of  the  external 


8 


water  through  it ;  and  in  some  locations  of  our  city,  where 
the  soil  is  open  and  the  elevation  above  tide-water  level, 
the  sewage  in  dry  weather  permeates  through  their  joints 
into  the  earth. 

So  manifest  is  the  necessity  of  sanitary  operations  in 
communities  by  the  aid  of  sewers,  and  so  universally  has 
the  system  been  practised,  that  from  the  earliest  ages 
sewers  have  been  constructed  in  populous  cities,  as  evi- 
denced by  the  constructions  that  have  withstood  the  dis- 
ruption of  time,  as  in  Carthage,  Alexandria,  Jerusalem, 
Herculaneum,  and  Rome ;  and  in  the  latter  city  the  cloaca 
maxima  of  twenty-five  centuries  is  yet  in  existence  and 
operation. 

BESULTS  OP  SEWEEAGrE. 

The  sanitary  results  to  be  derived  from  the  sewerage 
of  a  town  is  very  forcibly  illustrated  in  the  records  of  the 
medical  officers  of  the  Privy  Council  of  England,  from 
which  it  appears  that  in  thirteen  towns  of  Eugland,  into 
which  sewerage  has  been  introduced,  that  the  average 
death  rate  per  1,000  of  the  inhabitants  before  the  introduc- 
tion of  sewers  was  28.4  in  1,000,  and  that  since  their  intro- 
duction the  average  was  but  23.4  per  1,000,  being  a 
decrease  in  the  rate  of  17.5  per  cent. ;  yet  this  city,  with 
less  than  two  and  a  half  miles  in  width  at  its  widest 
part,  encompassed  by  sea  water  which  washes  its  shores 
twice  a  day,  added  to  the  fluvial  current  of  the  Hudson 
river,  and  possessing  the  elements  of  health  to  its  inhab^ 
itants  far  in  advance  of  any  city  in  the  world,  has  a  death 
rate  greater  by  twenty  per  cent,  than  the  inland  cities  of 
London  and  Paris. 

SEWAGE. 

The  sewage  of  our  city  under  existing  constructions 
and  operations  is  discharged  into  the  slips  bordering  the 
rivers,  from  which  the  insoluble  portions  are  periodically 
removed  by  dredging,  and  transferred  to  the  lower  bay, 


9 


whence  the  light  portion  of  it  is  borne  by  the  detrital 
action  of  the  tidal  currents  to  quiescent  parts,  to  fill  the 
lesser  bays  and  indentations  of  the  shores  of  Staten 
Island  and  New  Jersey  that  border  upon  the  bay,  whereby 
the  tidal  area  and  volume  of  the  bay  and  harbor,  which 
are  its  maintaining  powers,  are  gradually  being  diminished. 

In  the  city  of  London,  where  the  streets  are  kept  cleaner 
than  in  this  city,  the  daily  volume  of  sewage  is  observed 
to  be  4.G7  cubic  feet  per  inhabitant.  In  this  city,  independ- 
ent of  Brooklyn,  Jersey  City  and  Hoboken,  it  is  fully  five 
cubic  feet,  which  for  a  population  of  one  million  of  inhabi- 
tants, reaches  the  enormous  volume  of  1,825,000  cubic  feet 
per  annum. 

COLLECTION  AND  DISPOSAL  OP  SEWAGE. 

Although  sewage,  its  collection  and  disposal 1  are  essen- 
tial and  important  features  in  a  system  of  sewerage,  I  do 
not  propose  to  treat  of  them  in  detail  at  this  time,  inas- 
much as  our  citizens  are  not  yet  prepared  to  give  due  heed 
to  this  matter,  notwithstanding  the  extent  of  the  influence 
upon  the  public  health  by  the  discharge  of  our  sewers  into 
the  river  fronts,  its  pollution  of  the  water  thereof,  the  loss 
of  valuable  matter  to  agriculture,  and  the  injury  to  our 
bays  and  harbors. 

EIVEK  POLLUTION. 

In  consequence  of  the  outfalls  or  deliveries  of  our  sew- 
ers being  at  the  line  of  the  bulkhead  or  street  front,  and 
below  the  level  of  high  water,  their  contents  are  discharged 
into  the  slips,  where  the  decomposing  matters  are  left  to 
stagnate  and  poison  the  air,  and  this  evil,  great  as  it  is,  is 
irremediable  under  the  existing  system  of  its  delivery,  in 
consequence  of  the  embay ment  of  the  sewer  mouths  by 
piers,  and  the  low  level  of  the  discharge. 

The  very  general  opinion  entertained  by  our  citizens, 
that  in  consequence  of  the  vicinage  of  the  rivers  bordering 
the  city,  and  of  the  ocean  at  Sandy  Hook,  that  it  is  only 
necessary  to  discharge  the  sewage  into  the  rivers  for  it  to 


10 


be  borne  a  way  to  the  ocean ;  is  wholly  fallacious,  except  as 
to  a  portion  of  the  matter  held  in  solution  ;  that  in  suspen- 
sion subsides  a  long  time  before  it  reaches  the  bar  at  San- 
dy Hook,  and  owing'  to  the  following  cause : — Six  miles 
outside  the  bar  is  the  nearest  point  at  which  any  matter  in 
suspension  can  be  deposited,  or  in  solution  dissipated,  with- 
out being  returned  to  within  the  bar  with  the  next  flow  of 
the  tide.  From  thence  to  Forty-second  street  (which  is 
taken  as  the  mean  point  of  the  discharge  of  the  sewerage 
of  the  city)  is  28  miles ;  the  average  velocity  of  the  flow  of 
the  tidal  current  for  this  course  is  about  two  and  a  half 
miles  per  hour,  and  assuming  a  j)article  of  light  matter  in 
suspension,  to  be  delivered  into  the  North  Eiver  at  Forty- 
second  street  at  the  first  of  the  ebb,  it  will  not  reach  the 
point  of  six  miles  outside  of  Sandy  Hook — as  it  gains  but 
about  five  miles  per  tide — until  it  has  been  borne  alter- 
nately forward  and  backward  for  a  distance  of  180  miles. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  it  was  deposited  at  the  first  of  the 
flood,  it  will  be  borne  backward  and  forward  in  like 
manner,  for  a  distance  of  240  miles. 

The  elements  of  an  estimate  of  the  extent  of  the  deposit 
of  silt  and  noxious  matter  in  our  harbor,  from  the  discharge 
of  our  sewers  are  inferentially  furnished  in  a  report  upon  the 
sewage  of  cities  by  the  Eiver  Pollution  Commissioners  of 
England  whence  it  appears  that  in  the  ordinary  sewage 
which  was  analyzed  by  them,  there  were  72.2  of  solid  matter 
and  44.69  of  matter  in  suspension  in  every  100.000  parts. 

DEEDGING. 

The  dredging  of  our  slips  is  a  necessary  operation  to 
meet  the  requirements  of  commerce ;  but  the  manner  in 
which  the  silt  is  disposed  of — that  is,  by  discharging  it  into 
our  lower  bay — is  an  operation  pregnant  with  results  so 
opposed  to  the  navigation  of  the  bay  and  harbor,  and  so 
fatal  to  the  depth  of  water  on  the  bar  at  Sandy  Hook,  that 
the  further  continuance  of  the  operation  should  be  forth- 
with arrested. 


11 


VALUE  OP  SEWAGE. 

The  value  of  sewage  as  a  fertilizer,  results  from  the 
preseuce  therein  of  ammonia,  which  furnishes  the  essential 
elements  of  nitrogen,  together  with  the  subordinate  prop- 
erties of  phosphates  and  alkalies. 

The  experiments  of  Liebig  and  others  have  deduced 
that  the  excretions  of  a  man  for  a  period  of  one  year  are 
sufficient  for  the  production  of  800  pounds  of  wheat,  rye 
or  oats. 

The  volume  of  the  fertilizing  qualities  of  the  sewage  of 
a  city  when  collected,  is  held  to  be  equivalent  to  one  ton  in 
weight  per  annum  for  each  member  of  the  population,  and 
the  value  of  it  in  the  city  of  London,  so  far  back  as  1860, 
was  estimated  at  $3.71  per  ton. 

VENTILATION  OP  SEWEES,  DRAINS,-  AND  SOIL  PIPES. 

The  ventilation  of  our  sewers,  drains  and  soil  pipes, 
under  existing  constructions,  is  restricted  to  the  man- 
holes, which  open  to  the  air  at  the  level  of  the  streets,  and 
to  the  mouths  of  the  sewers  at  the  river  front ;  which  latter, 
in  low  locations,  like  Canal,  Ferry,  Eoosevelt  and  some 
other  streets,  are  so  low  that  the  tidewater  flows  into 
and  chokes  them,  and  as  a  consequence,  their  ventilation 
is  arrested,  and  the  flow  of  the  sewage  suspended  for  a 
great  portion  of  the  day. 

DRAINS. 

The  connection  between  the  waste  and  soil  pipes  of  a 
building  and  the  street  sewer  is  made  through  a  brick  or 
tile  drain,  with  insufficient  seating  and  packing,  and  fre- 
quently there  is  but  one  connection  for  several  buildings. 

SOIL  PIPES. 

The  joints  of  these  pipes  are  not  only  very  frequently 
insufficient  in  their  connections,  but  the  pipes,  from  in- 
sufficient support,  recede  from  their  connections,  and  as  a 
consequence,  fissures  are  opened,  which  admit  of  the  escape 


12 


of  the  gases  from  the  sewer  into  the  building  with  which 
they  are  connected,  added  to  which,  in  most  cases  the 
traps  have  an  insufficient  flexure  to  afford  the  head  of  water 
necessary  to  resist  the  pressure  of  the  air  in  a  sewer,  the 
mouth  of  which  is  open  to  a  fresh  wind. 

Thus,  the  traps  have  as  a  mean,  a  depth  of  water  or 
resisting  medium  of  about  1.5  inches,  which  presents  a 
resistance  of  1.5  by  27.67  (inches  of  water  equal  1  pound) 
equal  .0542  pounds,  which  for  a  square  foot,  equals  7.8 
pounds,  which  is  equal  to  a  velocity  of  wind  of  nearly  40 
miles  per  hour,  or  that  due  to  a  u  high  wind,"  consequently 
at  this  pressure,  the  gas  from  a  sewer  is  driven  through 
the  water  in  a  trap,  and  then  escapes  into  the  dwelling : 
added  to  this,  there  is  another  operation  of  the  elements, 
by  the  agency  of  which  the  traps  in  soil  and  waste  pipes 
may  become  wholly  inoperative ;  thus,  when  the  leader 
from  the  roof  of  a  building  leads  into  the  drain  common 
to  it  and  the  soil  and  waste  pipes  j  a  full  charge  of  the 
leader  by  the  flow  from  a  heavy  shower  of  rain,  it  being 
superior  in  the  height  of  its  column  to  that  of  the  traps  of 
the  soil  or  waste  pipes,  will  exhaust  all  pipes  and  traps 
connecting  with  it ;  and  consequently  these  pipes  will  be- 
come the  means  of  open  communication  between  the  sewer 
and  the  rooms  or  space  into  which  they  lead,  until  they 
are  again  flushed  with  water,  which  even  in  an  occupied 
dwelling,  may  not  occur  between  ten  o'clock  P.  M.  and 
eight  o'clock  A.  M.,  or  after  an  interval  of  ten  hours,  and 
with  an  unoccupied  building  this  communication  may 
remain  open  for  months  and  years. 

In  order  then,  to  meet  the  requirements  of  this  city  in 
the  matters  of  drainage,  sewerage  and  ventilation,  and  in 
the  least  expensive  manner  consistent  with  the  ends  to  be 
attained,  I  further  submit : — 

That  all  sewers  to  be  laid  hereafter  should  have  uni- 
formity of  design  and  materials  for  like  locations  and  ser- 
vice, and  that  they  should  be  constructed  in  the  best  prac- 
ticable manner. 


13 


That  they  should  have  sufficient  capacity  not  only  to 
admit  of  the  location  therein  of  the  water  and  gas  mains 
and  telegraph  wires,  but  of  such  height  and  width,  as  would 
afford  such  space  around  and  between  these  pipes  as  would 
enable  them  readily  to  be  repaired  or  replaced  when 
necessary. 

That  the  joints  of  the  manholes  leading  to  the  sewer 
should  be  closely  fitted,  so  as  to  preclude  the  escape  of  the 
gas  therefrom ;  that  an  open  pipe,  connecting  with  the  drain 
pipe,  should  lead  from  below  the  lowest  trap  in  all  soil 
pipes  to  the  roof  of  the  building  in  which  the  soil  pipe  is 
located,  in  order  to  lead  off  the  gases  from  the  sewers  to 
the  upper  air. 

That  the  traps  of  all  the  soil  pipes  should  be  supplied 
with  a  small  jet  of  water — a  minute  one  will  suffice — to 
replace  that  lost  by  evaporation,  by  the  exhaustion  of  the 
rain  water  leader  in  the  manner  referred  to,  and  by  the 
capillary  exhaustion  by  a  fragment  of  cloth,  a  rag,  or  a 
string  being  arrested  within  the  trap  and  hanging  over  it 
into  the  soil  pipe. 

That  the  foundation  of  all  sewers  should  have  a  sep- 
arate construction  as  a  drain,  for  the  purpose  of  freeing 
the  earth  of  its  water  of  gravitation. 

That  the  collection  of  the  sewage  of  this  city  could  be 
attained  by  the  construction  of  a  common  receptacle  for 
the  discharge  of  the  sewers,  from  every  four  or  more 
streets,  from  which  it  could  be  withdrawn  by  the  engine 
of  floating  vessels,  and  from  them  emptied  into -lesser  ves- 
sels and  tanks  for  transportation,  preparation  and  distribu- 
tion.* 

That  in  order  to  withdraw  from  the  earth  in  the  lower 
portion  of  the  island  such  water  as  is  embayed  by  a  sub- 
soil of  rock  or  clay  and  an  impermeable  bulkhead  across 
the  thread  of  its  course,  that  it  be  required  by  such  par- 
ties as  may  be  designated,  by  the  Board  of  Health  as 

*The  Pool  of  Siloani  was  a  cesspool  constructed  for  the  reception 
of  the  overflow  from  an  upper  pool,  in  order  that  the  fecal  matter  in 
it  might  be  elevated  and  treated  for  removal  for  sale. 


14 


operate  steam  engines  in  these  locations ;  that  they  should 
sink  a  shaft  of  vitrified  clay  pipe  or  cast  iron — one  foot  in 
diameter  will  be  sufficient — to  a  depth  of  twenty  feet  from 
the  level  of  the  curbstone,  and  that  they  be  further  re- 
quired to  exhaust  the  water  therefrom  and  discharge  it 
into  the  street  sewer ;  and  for  this  service  a  proper  com- 
pensation should  be  awarded  them. 

That  to  effect  the  dredging  now  necessary,  and  in 
order  to  deposit  it  beyond  any  injurious  effects  to  the  bay 
and  harbor,  it  should  be  delivered  into  steam  hopper 
scows,  and  transported  by  them,  to  raise  the  level  of  the 
marshes  in  the  vicinity,  or  borne  without  the  bar  at  Sandy 
Hook,  and  at  such  a  distance  as  would  preclude  any  reflux 
of  the  matter  within  the  bay. 

Scows  of  this  description,  alike  to  those  constructed  for 
the  Suez  Canal,  can  be  made  to  transport  300  tons  (2,240 
pounds)  of  silt  at  a  speed  of  6.  7  miles  per  hour. 

The  advantages  presented  by  such  a  system  are  as  fol- 
lows : — 

First. — An  enduring  structure  of  drains  and  sewers,  as 
opposed  to  the  existing  faulty  designs  and  perishable  con- 
structions. 

Second. — The  perfect  drainage  of  the  land,  sewerage 
and  ventilation  of  the  dwellings. 

Third. — The  facility  with  which  leaks  in  the  water  and 
gas  mains  and  pipes  could  be  discovered  and  repaired, 
the  protection  given  to  the  telegraph  wires,  and  the  per- 
fect security  given  to  the  main  and  service  pipes  of  water 
and  gas  from  the  effects  of  continued  cold  weather. 

Fourth  — Economy  of  cost  and  maintenance  to  the  city, 
and  the  gas  and  telegraph  companies  ;  in  setting  aside  the 
necessity  of  the  street  pavement  being  repeatedly  broken 
up,  to  lay  and  repair  water  and  gas  mains,  connections  and 
service  pipes. 

Fifth  — The  enabling  of  our  citizens  owning  lots  in  the 
upper  portion  of  the  island  to  build  thereon,  without  being- 
deterred  therefrom  by  the  insalubrity  of  the  locations,  the 


15 


absence  of  sewers  or  pavement,  the  lighting  of  the  avenues 
and  streets,  and  the  uncertainty  of  the  grade. 

Sixth. — An  increase  of  the  residents  of  the  city,  that  in 
the  value  of  their  personal  property,  and  in  the  increased 
and  intrinsic  value  of  real  estate,  would  produce  a  tax  that 
would  repay  the  entire  cost  in  a  few  years. 

Finally. — Economy  of  cost  of  maintenance  of  sewers 
and  street  pavements,  and  an  increase  in  personal  prop- 
erty and  in  real  estate  that  will  so  far  exceed  the  cost  of 
the  attainment  of  the  one,  and  the  production  of  the 
other,  that  the  rate  of  our  taxes  will  be  very  materially 
reduced. 

Reviewing,  then,  the  condition  of  this  city,  the  require- 
ments of  such  a  system  as  that  proposed,  and  of  that  in 
operation  in  this  city,  it  appears  : 

That  a  sanitary  condition  of  the  sewerage  of  a  city  is 
imperative  for  the  health  of  its  inhabitants. 

That  the  natural  water-courses  of  this  island  have  been 
arrested  in  their  discharge  into  the  adjoining  rivers,  by 
being  dammed  by  earth  filling  at  the  avenues,  and  by  bulk- 
heads at  the  river  fronts. 

That  the  subsoil  drainage  of  Central  Park  is  insufficient  j 
that  the  water  of  its  ponds,  from  its  quiesence  and  conse- 
quent want  of  aeration  is  stagnant,  and  that  one  of  them 
at  this  time  is  in  a  state  of  semi-putresence,  and  that  the 
clearing  away  the  undergrowth  of  the  foliage  is  so  wholly 
neglected  that  this  Park  is  pregnant  with  disease,  which  is 
increasing  with  time j  and  that  unless  remedial  measures 
are  soon  instituted  and  effected,  the  surrounding  locations, 
instead  of  being  held  as  the  most  valuable  portion  of  our 
city,  will  be  of  little  value  as  sites  for  residences. 

That  the  sewers  of  this  city  essentially  operate  as 
sewers  alone  and  not  as  subsoil  drains  to  the  adjacent 
earth,  and  that  they,  together  with  the  drains  and  soil- 
pipes  of  our  dwellings  are  insufficiently  trapped  and  ven- 
tilated. 

That,  although  the  innoxious  disposal   of  the  gas 


16 


emanating-  from  a  sewer  is  the  most  important  element  in 
the  ventilation  of  it,  this  feature  is  wholly  neglected,  inas- 
much as  the  man-holes  in  the  streets  are  designed  solely  for 
the  facility  of  entering  the  sewer  to  cleanse  or  repair  it, 
and  not  as  ventilators. 

That  the  sewage  of  this  city  has  a  value  superior  to  the 
cost  of  constructing  receptacles  for  it,  and  of  vessels  ot 
distribution,  and  that  it  could  be  collected,  deodorized  and 
removed  for  purposes  of  agriculture.* 

That  the  sewers,  drains,  and  soil  pipes,  are,  for  the 
greater  part  ill  designed,  badly  constructed,  and  of  a  varied 
construction. 

That  the  practice  of  depositing  the^sewage  of  this  city 
in  our  bay  and  harbor,  involves  the  commercial  character  of 
our  city  as  to  the  depth  of  the  entrance  thereto  at  Sandy 
Hook,  and  also  to  reduce  the  depth  of  water  in  the  bays 
and  harbors  contiguous  to  our  city,  as  Earitan,  Xewark, 
Communipaw  and  Flushing  Bays,  the  Erie  and  Atlantic 
basins,  the  Earitan,  Hackensaek,  Passaic,  North  or  Hud- 
son, East  and  Harlem  Eivers,  etc. 

That  the  volume  of  solid  matter  annually  discharged 
into  our  rivers  and  bay  is  fully  1,317,650  cubic  feet,  and  ot 
matter  in  suspension  815,592  cubic  feet,  the  first  involving 
the  dredging  of  our  slips  and  the  filling  in  of  our  bays,  and 
the  other  the  general  pollution  of  the  water  and  of  the  de- 
position of  excreta  upon  the  low  surfaces  of  the  contiguous 
shores,  inlets  and  bays,  which  are  overflowed  at  high  water. 

That  the  depth  at  which  the  water  and  gas  service 
pipes  are  ordinarily  laid  is  insufficient  to  protect  the  water 
in  the  first  from  being  sometimes  frozen,  and  .that  the  con- 
gelation of  the  gas  in  the  latter,  upon  the  inner  surface  of 
the  pipes  in  very  cold  weather,  is  such  as  to  impede  and 
even  arrest  its  flow. 

That  the  discharge  of  the  sewage  into  our  rivers  is  pol- 
luting the  waters  thereof,  that  this  pollution  is  daily  in- 

*  The  sewage  of  Jerusalem  was  collected  in  tanks,  from  whence 
the  solid  portion  was  sold  and  the  liquid  used  for  the  irrigation  of 
land. 


17 


creasing,  and  the  effects  of  the  deposits  thereof  upon  sur- 
faces exposed  to  the  air  at  low  water,  will  soon  be  mani- 
fest to  our  citizens,  and  to  those  of  the  cities  bordering 
upon  our  rivers. 

That  Central  Park,  covering  an  area  of  844  acres,  is  de. 
ficient  in  the  necessary  sub-soil  drainage,  added  to  which 
there  is  an  extensive  area  of  ponds,  which  having  but  little 
depth,  and  being  filled  for  their  greater  portions  with  sur- 
face washings  and  vegetable  matter,  have  not  sufficient 
withdrawal  and  supply  of  water  for  the  necessary  aeration 
of  them. 

That  in  consequence  of  the  drainage  of  the  land,  the 
opening,  grading,  watering,  sewering  and  lighting  of  the 
avenues  and  streets,  not  having  been  effected  in  advance 
of  the  progress  of  the  resident  occupation  of  our  island, 
the  upper  portion  of  it  is  so  unhealthy  and  so  deficient 
in  the  requirements  of  its  inhabitants ;  that  a  numerous 
population  has  been  led  off  to  our  adjacent  cities  and  «• 
towns. 

That  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  the  increase  of 
the  population  of  this  city,  Brooklyn  and  Jersey  City,  the 
narrowing  of  the  rivers  and  the  invasion  of  the  bays  by  the 
filling  out  of  the  shores  to  the  bulkhead  lines,  and  by  the 
reduction  thereof  of  the  tidal  area,  the  detrital  effect  of  the 
tidal  volume  will  be  so  decreased,  that  the  pollution  of  our 
rivers  will  render  the  collection  and  disposal  of  the  sewage 
of  this  city  a  matter  of  imperative  necessity. 

That  the  cost  of  the  collection  of  the  sewage  would  be 
fully  repaid  by  the  sale  of  it  for  purposes  of  agriculture, 
added  to  which,  the  cost  of  dredging  the  slips  would  be 
rendered  comparatively  of  little  amount. 

That  the  collection  of  the  sewage  at  its  discharge  from 
the  mouths  of  the  sewers  and  the  removal  of  it,  is  further 
necessary  in  order  to  retain  the  commercial  capacity  and 
character  of  our  bay  and  harbor,  and  to  preserve  the 
waters  thereof  from  pollution. 

That  the  entire  practice — for  system,  there  is  none — 
of  the  drainage  and  sewerage  of  this  city,  and  the  drain- 


18 


ing  of  its  suburbs  is  at  variance  with  propriety,  opposed 
to  the  advancement  of  the  city  and  the  interest  of  its 
inhabitants,  at  variance  with  the  science  of  engineering, 
calculated  to  drive  dwellers  in  our  suburbs  to  seek  more 
salutary  locations,  effective  in  deterring  others  from 
returning  to  the  once  desirable  residences  in  the  suburbs 
of  the  city,  productive  of  disease,  and  involving  a  heavy 
expense  to  remedy  the  neglect. 

That  unless  a  proper  system  of  drainage,  sewerage  and 
ventilation  is  forthwith  commenced  and  consummated,  the 
insanitary  condition  of  our  city  in  every  portion  of  it  will 
involve  a  depreciation  in  value,  far  in  excess  of  the  cost  of 
the  system  proposed,  independent  of  the  annual  decimation 
of  the  population  by  disease  and  removal. 

That  the  drainage  and  sewerage  of  the  upper  portion 
of  the  island,  so  far  as  it  has  been  progressed  with,  is 
inefficient  in  character  and  insufficient  in  extent,  and  so 
opposed  to  sanitary  requirements  that  it  has  failed  to  meet 
not  only  the  requirements  of  the  residents  thereof,  but  to 
offer  that  inducement  to  our  population  as  it  increases  in 
number  to  occupy  it,  in  preference  to  removing  to  contig- 
uous locations  in  the  surrounding  cities  and  towns. 

That  the  insanitary  condition  of  this  city,  is  wholly  in 
consequence  of  the  neglect  of  its  rulers  to  take  the  neces- 
sary action  to  avail  themselves  of  its  natural  advantages, 
in  connection  with  an  enlightened  system  of  drainage  and 
sewerage ;  and  that  if  the  goods  of  our  merchants  and  the 
wares  of  our  trades  people,  visibly  suffered  in  depreciation 
by  the  presence  of  a  malarious  atmosphere  but  one  tithe 
of  that,  their  health  and  that  of  their  families  suffers  in 
consequence  of  the  presence  of  malaria  in  the  greater  por- 
tions of  our  city  ;  that  immediate  measures  woidd  be  insti- 
tuted to  correct  such  a  manifest  evil. 

That  in  all  the  populous  cities  of  Europe  there  exist 
sanitary  boards,  with  ample  powers  to  originate  and  execute 
measures  to  protect  the  health  of  the  inhabitants ;  yet  in 
this  city,  the  metropolis  of  America,  having1  unsurpassed 


19 


natural  advantages,  with  parks  and  open  squares,  with  a 
Board  of  Health,  designed  both  for  promoting  and  pro- 
tecting the  health  of  its  inhabitants,  yet  in  consequence 
of  the  insufficient  and  faulty  engineering  of  the  former  and 
the  restriction  of  power  to  the  other,  the  insanitary  condi- 
tion of  this  city  and  its  consequent  death  rate,  being  20 
per  cent,  in  excess  of  that  of  either  London  or  Paris,  are  a 
serious  obstacle  to  its  increase,  disgraceful  to  the  intelli- 
gence of  its  citizens  and  a  reproach  upon  their  humanity. 
The  functions  of  a  Board  of  Health  should  not  be  restricted 
to  giving  permits  for  burial  and  registering  deaths,  they 
should  extend  to  the  institution  and  requirements  of  such 
measures  as  would  lessen  both  the  occurrence  of  the  one 
and  the  necessity  of  the  other. 

That  if  the  drainage  of  the  land,  the  opening  of  the 
avenues  and  streets  of  the  entire  upper  portion  of  our  city 
had  been  commenced  twenty  years  back,  and  rapidly  pro- 
gressed, thatin  lieu  of  our  neighboring  cities  and  towns  hav- 
ing been  to  a  great  extent  built  up  and  occupied  by  persons 
transacting  business  in  this  city,  and  who  would  have- 
preferred  to  have  built  here,  the  population  of  our  city 
would  have  been  fully  250,000  greater  at  this  time ;  coupled 
with  rapid  transit  between  the  extremes  of  the  island,  and 
the  taxes  derived  from  the  increased  amount  of  personal 
and  intrinsic  value  of  real  estate,  would  have  fully  repaid 
the  cost  of  these  improvements  before  the  work  was  fully 
completed. 

That  in  consequence  of  this  condition  of  the  matters 
under  consideration,  and  the  prospect  of  the  institution  of 
a  system  of  rapid  transit  between  the  extremes  of  our 
city  limits  ;  in  order  to  furnish  all  the  elements  of  desirable 
and  sanitary  residences  in  the  upper  portion  of  it,  its  ave- 
nues and  streets  should  be  forthwith  opened,  graded, 
sewered,  watered,  lighted  and  ventilated;  and  our  muni- 
cipal authorities  should  forthwith  take  action  in  the  matter 
and  pass  an  ordinance  creating  a  Board,  to  whom  should 
be  confided  the  consideration  of  a  system  comprising  the 
whole  subject  of  drainage,  sewerage  and  ventilation. 


20 

To  such  of  our  citizens  as  may  be  startled  by  their  first 
impression  of  the  magnitude  and  cost  of  the  system  pro- 
posed ;  I  also  submit,  that  upon  a  further  consideration  of 
the  subject,  they  cannot  fail  to  arrive  at  the  conclusion, 
that  it  is  pregnant  with  the  life  and  health  of  our  inhabi- 
tants, the  character  of  our  city,  the  enterprise  of  its  citi- 
zens,, and  ultimate  economy  of  cost  of  construction  and  of 
maintenance. 

I  am,  respectfully,  yours,  &c, 

CHAS.  H.  HASWELL, 

(7.  Jk  M.  & 


lEx  HtbrtH 


SEYMOUR  DURST 


~t '  'Tort  ntevw  ^Amfltrda-m,  oj>  Je  Manhdtarus 


FORT    NEW  AMSTERDAM 


"When  you  leave,  please  leave  this  book 

Because  it  has  been  said 
"Ever  thing  comes  t'  him  who  waits 

Except  a  loaned  book." 


